Game device



R. TRANTER, JR

' July 7, 1959 GAME DEVICE Filed Oct. 23, 1957 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. IPOIERT X. Eva/Waxy.

United States Patent GAME DEVICE Robert R. Tranter, Jr., Franklin, Ind.

Application October 23, 1957, Serial No. 691,888

4 Claims. (Cl. 273- 144) This invention relates generally to game devices, and more particularly to devices of this type which are adapted to deliver randomly-selected, marked objects to the game player for scoring in accord with a predetermined schedule of scoring values.

In the past various games have been devised for simulating such contests as baseball games and the like. These games have usually involved the use of dice or a manually rotated pointer to indicate the progress of game pieces over a diagrammatic baseball diamond. Since the occurrence of scoring events, such as hits, runs, strikeouts, errors, etc. in such games, is determined completely by chance, the frequency of occurrence of these scoring events has no statistical relation to their frequency of occurrence in actual major league play.

Since it is possible by taking into consideration a large group of major league baseball games to determine statistically the frequency of occurrence of such scoring events, it will be evident that a game which yields scoring results statistically related to the scoring results in major league play will have increased interest and entertainment value over the conventional baseball play simulating games.

The present invention provides a game device in which a marked object, such as' a sphere, is randomly-selected from 'a predetermined number of such objects and delivered to the game player for scoring. Within the predetermined number of objects the number of identically marked or numbered objects is made to proportionately conform, in the case of baseball, to the frequency of occurrence of the scoring events in a major league baseball game. The occurrence of scoring events in the game and the total scores will, therefore, duplicate what might be statistically expected in a major league game.

The principal object of the presentinvention is thus to provide a game device comprising a box-like container, bearing a suitable scoring'indicia' on its outer face, and having a manually rotatable knob-thereon which is adapted to deliver to the game player a randomly-selected one of a predeterminednumber of small marked objects for appropriate scoring, thefrequ'ency of occurrence of identically markedobjects within, the predetermined number of such objects being determined according to a statistical pattern.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the game device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device with the top member or cover removed.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring initially to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a box-like container having side walls 10, end walls 11,

2,893,735 Patented July 7, 1959 a top member or cover 12, and a base 13. The container is given an inclined attitude by means of a block 14 secured to the base adjacent one of the end walls.

The outer face of the cover carries a baseball playing.

field diagram at 16 and a scoring legend at 17. An opening 18 is formed in the cover, and in the central area of the cover a manually rotatable knob 20 extends therethrough. Adjacent the container base the lower end wall has an access opening 21 therein encircled by a retaining receptacle 22 for a purpose to be subsequently described.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, it will be noted that overlying the container base is a sheet or plate 23, formed of any suitable material such as a cardboard or plywood, having a circular opening 24 therein and a slot or channel 26 extending between the circular opening and the access opening 21. The plate 23 and the base of the container thus form a container floor having a central, circular depression and a channel extending between the depression and the access opening in the container end wall.

A stem or shaft 27 journaled in the cover, mounts the knob 20 and, at its lower end is rigidly secured to a disc 28. The disc carries circumferential, diagrammatically opposed notches 29 and 31 and has a conical crown extending beyond the plane of the container floor. The circular depression formed in the container floor loosely. receives the disc for rotation therein upon manual rota-. tion of the knob 20.

A transverse partition 32 extending in overlying rela-- tion to the disc, divides the container into a delivery area 33 and a bin area 34, the partition being suitably notched at 36 to accommodate the crown portion of the disc. The bin area is adapted to accommodate a predetermined number of small marked objects, such as the spheres 37, sized so as to fit singly within the notches formed in the disc. Bafile plates 38 (Fig. 3) serve, together with the inclined floor of the container, to direct the spheres into generally adjacent, overlying relation to the disc, the crowned portion of the disc tending to keep the spheres aligned along the discs outer margin.

From the foregoing it will be evident that when one of the disc notches is centered within the bin area, the other notch will be aligned with the channel in the delivery area, and that, as the notches interchange positions upon rotation of the disc, at single sphere will be delivered to the channel and Will roll therealong through the access opening, to be retained by the retaining receptacle 22.

As previously mentioned, a predetermined number of marked spheres are accommodate within the bin area,

' and the number of spheres marked identically is established, in the case of a baseball-play-simulating game, bystatistical analysis 'of a large group of major league baseball games. For example, a preferred game arrangement provides a total of 64 spheres, marked from one to forty, their marking number being identified with a par: ticular scoring event set out in the scoring legend carried on the front face of the container cover. The scoring legend may read in part as follows:

#1: Home Run'all runners score. #2: One Base Hit-all runners advance one base. #3: Strike-out--no advance.

In playing the game the player operates the knob 20, and with each rotation a marked sphere is delivered to the access opening. The player removes the sphere, notes its scoring value as determined by the scoring legend and returns the sphere through the opening 18 to the bin area. The sequence of appearance of the marked spheres thus determines the sequence of scoring events in the simulated baseball game. The progress of the game may be denoted by moving game pieces over the baseball diamond Sincethe relationof the number of identically marked spheres to the total number of spheres canbe made to bear a proportional relation to the statistically determined occurrence of the corresponding scoring events in a typ ical major league baseball game, the sequence of occurrence of the scoring events and the total scores obtained in playing the game will be of the same order as those occurring in regular major league play.

While the gamerdevice embodying the present invention has been particularly described with reference to baseball, it will be evident that the arrangement may be applied to other games in which the scoring events are subject to statistical analysis.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to 'be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. A game device of a type which delivers randomlyselected marked objects from a bin to a delivery area comprising a closed container including an inclined base and having an access opening therein adjacent said base, a plate overlying said base, a transverse partition within the container separating it into a bin area and a delivery area, said plate having a circular depression formed therein in underlying relation to said partition, a channel formed in said plate and extending across the delivery area between said depression and said access opening, a disc occupying said depression having diametrically opposed circumferential notches therein and a conical crown extending upwardly beyond the plane of said plate, manually operable means extending exteriorly of said container for rotating the disc within said depression, and a plurality of marked objects within the bin area sized to fit singly within the disc notches, each rotation of said disc thereby transporting a randomly-selected one of said objects from the bin area to said channel for delivery to said access opening.

2. A game device of a type which delivers randomlyselected marked objects from a bin to a delivery area comprising a closed lbox-like container having an inclined floor and an access opening adjacent the lower margin of the floor, a scoring indicia carried on the top face of said container, a transverse partition within the container separating it into an upper bin area and a lower delivery area, a circular depression formed in the floor of the container in underlying relation to said partition, a channel formed in the base of the container and extending across the delivery area between said depression and said access opening, a disc occupying said depression having diametrically opposed circumferential notches therein and a conical crown extending beyond the plane of the container floor, manually operable means extending exteriorly of said container for rotating the disc within said depres- 4 sion, a plurality of marked spheres within the bin area sized to fit singly within the disc notches, baffle plates extending between the sidesof said container and said partition for directing the spheres into positions adjacent said disc, whereby each rotation of said disc transports a randomly-selected one of said objects from the bin area to said channel for delivery to said access opening.

3. A game device of a type which delivers randomly- I selected marked objects from a bin to a delivery area comprising a closed box-like container having an inclined floor and an access opening adjacent the lower margin of the floor, a transverse partition within the container separating it into an upper bin area and a lower delivery area, a circular depression formed in the floor of the container in underlying relation to said partition, a channel formed in the floor of the container and extending across the delivery area between said depression and said access opening, a disc occupying said depression having diametrically opposed circumferential notches therein and a conical crown extending beyond the plane of the container floor, manually operable means extending exteriorly of said container for rotating the disc within said depression, a plurality of marked spheres within the bin area sized to fit singly within the disc notches, each rotation of said disc thereby transporting a randomly-selected one of said objects from the bin area to said channel for delivery to said access opening, and an opening in the top of the container overlying said bin area for manual return of the spheres to the bin area.

4. A game device of a type which delivers randomlyselected marked objects from a bin to a delivery area comprising a closed container including an inclined base and having an access opening therein adjacent said base, a transverse partition within the container separating it into a bin area and a delivery area and having a notch formed on its surface that is adjacent said base, said base having a circular depression formed therein in underlying relation'to said partition and said notch, a channel formed in said base and extending across the delivery area between said depression and said access opening, a disc occupying said depression immediately under said notch and having diametrically opposed circumferential vnotches therein and a conical crown extending upwardly beyond the plane of said base, manually operable means extending exteriorly of said container for rotating the disc within said depression, and a plurality of marked objects within the bin area sized to fit singly within the disc notches, each rotation of said disc thereby transporting a randomly-selected one of said objects from the bin area to said channel for delivery by gravity to said access opening.

Y References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,655,296 Tapio Jan. 3, 1928 1,876,128 Almada Sept. 6, 1932 1,929,788 Myers et al. Oct. 10, 1933 2,539,216 Weinschenk L Jan. 23, 1951 2,594,434 Hofsetz Apr. 29, 1952 

